Mike Klimek

When you screw together two pieces of hardwood, you need to predrill the hole. This allows the shaft of the screw to enter the hole without splitting the surrounding wood.

An essential tool for testing light switches is a continuity tester. You also can use a multimeter by turning the dial to read “continuity.”

Many people have drain pans installed under their water heaters or washing machines, but many of those pans are not connected to a drainpipe. With that setup, all you are doing is delaying the inevitable flood by about two minutes.

Replacing the switches with rocker-style switches is easy and will make a dramatic change. In addition to the switches and cover plates, you also must replace the outlets to match.

If your project includes cutting things like bricks, blocks or roof tiles, then you need a large, fast-moving masonry blade. If you are cutting lots of these items, you might want to rent a masonry saw.

Outlets are installed at a height that, unfortunately, lures curious kids. To childproof the outlet, you can buy plastic plugs that push into the outlet just as you would plug in a lamp.

A dent in wood furniture is caused by an impact that compresses the fibers of the wood. It can be reversed back to normal with the help of a little steam.

Beadboard comes in either planks or sheets but the sheets install much faster than the planks. Many products are tongue-and-groove and fit together seamlessly.

Quikrete makes an anchoring cement that will reach a pull-out strength of more than 12,000 psi after only 24 hours.

The more expensive laser levels are self-leveling and others require the operator to adjust them. The great thing though, is that they are extremely accurate, even for long distances.

Replacing coach lights is a perfect project for a would-be electrician. In fact, you don’t even have to use a ladder if you don’t have one, but you will need to stand on something solid to reach the lights.

Caulking is a fix-all for all sorts of situations since it’s a great adhesive in a pinch, but it shines at filling gaps. You might even call it “weatherstripping in a tube.”

There are a couple of problems with touching up paint: One is the color and the other is the sheen.

If you like cleaning your oven, then you’re going to love cleaning the barbecue. The igniter should be checked and the burners need to be cleaned out because, over time, sauces and food have dripped onto the ports where the propane should be flowing out.

A faucet with low water flow can usually be attributed to a clogged aerator or a partially closed shut-off valve.